Hayfield Man Pleads Guilty in Rochester Sex Trafficking Sting
Rochester, MN (KROC-AM News) - A Hayfield man has admitted to a felony prostitution charge stemming from an undercover “sting” sex-trafficking investigation in the Rochester area last year.
According to court documents, Rochester police partnered with the Olmsted County Sheriff’s Office, the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, and the Olmsted County Attorney’s Office to create and post online ads on websites known to be used by people seeking to purchase sex. A total of seven men were charged in the case.
Hayfield Man Arrested After Responding to Online Ad
Fifty-two-year-old Andrew O’Neill was among the defendants. The criminal complaint against him states that he responded to one of the ads posted by investigators and exchanged messages with an undercover officer. The court document says the officer posed online as a 17-year-old, and O’Neill was accused of arranging a meeting for the purpose of engaging in a sexual act even after he was told the person he was communicating with was a juvenile.
O’Neill was arrested when he arrived at a business in Rochester expecting to meet with the purported juvenile.
Felony Prostitution Charge Leads to Guilty Plea
He was charged with a felony count of prostitution involving a person reasonably believed to be under the age of 18. O’Neill entered a guilty plea to the charge today in Olmsted County Court and is scheduled to be sentenced in March.
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